Wednesday, July 9, 2008

I Heart Cooked Food

The day after a raw food detox (see yesterday's post) always reminds me how much I adore cooked food, even when it's 90-something degrees outside. So tonight, I cranked up the oven and the outdoor grill to create two yummy warm, soul-soothing dishes.

After seeing the Veganomicon'sCurry Tofu on Julie's Kind Kitchen blog a few days ago, I knew I had to have it:

I'm going through a bit of a curry phase right now. Yesterday, I had Curried Carrot Salad and the day before I had a frozen Bombay Curry veggie burger. In keeping with the theme, I marinated some firm tofu overnight in this tasty mixture of curry powder, cumin, veggie broth, and other stuff. Then I tossed it on the grill for a few minutes. Totally delightful! I love the grill marks!

On the side, I veganized my Granny's Squash Casserole:

It's a baked dish with brown rice, yellow summer squash from the farmer's market, soymilk, and other seasonings. The recipe's going in my cookbook, so I'm not gonna divulge. I'm pretty proud of this one. I swear it tastes just like the non-vegan casserole my Granny makes.

I don't have a lot of experience with baking raw brown rice in the oven, so I was worried it wouldn't turn out. Her recipe calls for white rice, so I had to adjust the oven temperature a bit to compensate for the longer cooking time. I also covered the dish with aluminum foil.

After an hour in the oven, the rice was still hard and I had a mini-freakout ... partly because I was afraid it wouldn't cook correctly and also because an hour had gone by and I was freakin' starving! But her recipe says to cook for 1 1/2 hours and so I waited another 30 minutes. Like magic, the rice cooked to a perfect creaminess (thanks to the soymilk). It reminds me of risotto, only baked.

By the way, some people have asked about my cookbook in the comments section. Basically, I'm putting together a cookbook of vegan Southern and country cuisine. So far, I've got a little over 100 recipes developed (honestly haven't counted in awhile), and my goal is 250. I don't have a publisher yet, but I'll cross that road when I come to it. And I'll eventually need testers, but I've get that side of things organized first.

30 comments:

oh YES! Sign me up for being a tester when the time comes. I'm a big ol' lover of Southern food, and of veganizing old family recipes. I've got a lot of family roots in North Carolina, and every time we go there my interest in veganizing Southern food is re-kindled. I was there a week or two ago, and I was actually thinking of you. I just love your blog and how you keep on cookin' southern even as a vegan. It's rad.

That tofu looks scrumptios - mmmm it must have soaked up all the curry goodness :0D Ahhh ... nothing beats casserole - such comfort food!! Glad that your version work out! Can't wait for your cookbook! :0)

i saw that curry tofu too - glad you made it - now i KNOW i need to try it 'cause yours looks super stellar!

the squash casserole looks awesome! i miss squash casserole, and i have no idea where to start with making one. guess i'll have to wait for your glorious cook book, Bianca! it's going to be so bad ass! :) i'm glad the rice worked out, too! yay!

That looks wonderful! I would love to be a tester for your recipes when the time comes. I veg a lot of traditional Costa Rican dishes so I understand the gratification that comes from making comfort food delicious and veg friendly again. Oh, and now I desperately need curry. Yum.

I love casseroles! Oh so much! I make tons of brown rice casseroles and they always work with no problems, but they do often have to go about 1.5hrs and have lots of liquid- they are great to throw in the oven after a long run and by the time I'm showered, stretched and rested it's ready!

I love summer squash but I guess I'll have to wait for your cookbook! In the meantime, though, I have to ask: was the squash in the baking dish the whole 1.5 hours? It looks so bright yellow fresh and firm in the photo, not like something that's been in an oven for 1.5 hours!

filling: 4 c fresh fruit1/4 raw sugar1 c corn starchpinch of saltFold filling ingredients together and put in buttered baking dish. Spread crumble mix on top and cook for 35 -45 min. Let is rest for a few and serve with ice cream!

I used nectarines, strawberries, and rhubarb. JB says it's the best one ever!